Marcos orders early work, class suspension notices for Sept 3 amid non-stop rains

Metro Manila, Philippines—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed government agencies to issue recommendations on work and class suspensions for tomorrow, Sept. 3, as Tropical Storm Enteng (international name: Yagi) continues to affect the country.

In an interview on Monday, Marcos said late advisories on work and class suspensions could leave people stranded in workplaces.

“We will try to give the bulletin as early as possible for work and school tomorrow. Ang instruction ko sa kanila, kung maaari bago tayo matulog, alam na natin kung may pasok bukas o hindi para makapag-adjust naman ‘yung mga tao,” Marcos said.

[Translation: We will try to give the bulletin as early as possible for work and school tomorrow. My instruction to them is, if possible, before we go to sleep, we should already know whether there will be classes or not tomorrow so that people can adjust accordingly.]

Marcos assured the public that the government is prepared to manage the impact of “Enteng,” but local government units (LGUs) will take the lead in assessing the situation.

“We are just monitoring it and trying to adjust. We leave much of the decision-making to the LGUs and regional offices because the situation varies,” he said.

The president said he would not meet with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council today to allow the agency to focus on delivering timely information to the public.

Earlier, Malacañang announced the suspension of school classes and government work in Metro Manila on Monday because of non-stop rains triggered by Tropical Storm Enteng.